"We Thought We Had More Time": Why Your Evacuation Plan Needs to Be Ready Today

At 2:47 PM, the Marshall Fire was a small grass fire. By 4:30 PM, entire neighborhoods were engulfed. Your evacuation plan can't wait.

At 2:47 PM, the Marshall Fire was a small grass fire near Boulder, Colorado. By 4:30 PM, entire neighborhoods were engulfed in flames. Families had minutes — not hours — to evacuate. Some didn't make it out before roads became impassable.

The Marshall Fire destroyed over 1,000 homes and taught Colorado a harsh lesson: when wildfire comes, it comes fast. Your evacuation plan can't be something you figure out when you see smoke. It needs to be ready right now, this moment, because that's when you'll need it.

The Evacuation Reality in Wildfire Country

Living in the Durango area means living with wildfire risk. The question isn't whether you'll ever face evacuation — it's when, and whether you'll be ready.

How Fast Things Happen

Modern wildfires move at speeds that defy intuition:

• Grass fires: Up to 14 miles per hour in high winds
• Forest fires: 6-7 miles per hour in steep terrain
• Ember spread: Can jump 1+ miles ahead of the fire front

In the time it takes to gather your family and pets, pack the car, and drive to safety, the situation can deteriorate from "cautionary" to "life-threatening."

The Three Evacuation Levels

Colorado uses a standardized evacuation system:

SET (Evacuation Warning): Wildfire threat is nearby. Prepare to evacuate immediately. Pack essential items. Prepare vehicles. Monitor emergency communications.

GO (Evacuation Order): Immediate threat to life. Leave NOW. Don't delay to gather belongings. Use designated evacuation routes only. Don't return until authorized.

Critical Understanding: The progression from SET to GO can happen in minutes. By the time you receive a GO order, you should already be in your vehicle heading to safety.

The 72-Hour Go Bag: What You Actually Need

Most evacuation resources recommend a "go bag" with 72 hours of supplies. That's solid advice, but here's what they often don't tell you: you need multiple bags for different scenarios.

The Immediate Evacuation Bag (Grab-and-Go)

This bag assumes you have 5-10 minutes maximum. Contents:

Documents (in waterproof container):

• Photo IDs and passports
• Insurance policies (homeowners, auto, life, health)
• Property deeds and titles
• Birth certificates and Social Security cards
• Medical records and prescriptions list
• Banking and financial account information
• Recent photos of home and belongings (for insurance claims)
• USB drive with digital copies of everything

Immediate Needs:

• Medications (7-day supply minimum)
• Cash ($500+ in small bills)
• Phone chargers and portable battery bank
• Contact list (written, not just on phone)
• Copies of keys (house, car, safe deposit box)
• Emergency radio (hand-crank or battery)
• Flashlight and batteries

Location: Keep this bag in a designated spot everyone knows — ideally by your primary exit door. Update quarterly.

The Pet Evacuation Kit

Pets complicate evacuation. Prepare separately:

• 7-day food and water supply
• Medications and medical records
• Collar, leash, carrier for each pet
• Recent photos (for lost pet posters)
• Vaccination records
• Comfort items (favorite toy, blanket)
• Portable litter box for cats
• Muzzle (even friendly dogs can bite when stressed)

Critical: Many emergency shelters don't accept pets. Identify pet-friendly hotels and boarding facilities along your evacuation routes NOW, and keep the list in your go bag.

The Evacuation Plan: Step-by-Step

Having supplies is one thing. Having a plan is another. Your family needs a clear, practiced evacuation protocol.

Establish Primary and Alternate Routes

Right now, identify:

1. Primary evacuation route: Most direct path out of area
2. Alternate route 1: Different path in case primary is blocked
3. Alternate route 2: Third option if both others are compromised

Drive these routes at different times of day. Identify choke points that could create bottlenecks, alternate paths around congested areas, safe areas along routes where you could wait if needed, and cell service dead zones (where you can't get updates).

Pro tip: Download offline maps of your evacuation routes to your phone. Cell networks can fail during emergencies.

Designate Rally Points

Where does your family meet if you're separated when evacuation orders come?

Rally Point 1 (Nearby): Location within 5 miles where family meets if separated locally. Should be obvious landmark everyone knows. Away from your neighborhood (which may be inaccessible). Example: Specific parking lot at a shopping center.

Rally Point 2 (Out of Area): Location 20+ miles away where family regroups if primary point is inaccessible. Should be outside likely evacuation zone. Has cell service for communication. Example: Rest area on highway, visitor center at park.

Out-of-State Contact: Designate someone outside Colorado as your family communication hub. During emergencies, local calls often fail but long-distance works. Each family member calls this person to report status. Contact person relays information between family members.

The Household Evacuation Checklist

When you receive a SET or GO order, systematic execution beats panicked scrambling. Post this checklist where everyone can see it:

SET (Evacuation Warning) Actions - 30-60 Minutes

Immediate:

• Grab go bags and load in vehicle
• Load pets and pet supplies
• Gather family members
• Dress in long pants, long sleeves, sturdy shoes
• Grab prescription medications

If Time Permits:

• Move vehicles to driveway (don't block in)
• Close all windows and doors (don't lock - firefighters may need access)
• Shut off gas at meter
• Turn on exterior lights (helps firefighters locate home in smoke)
• Move combustible patio furniture away from house
• Close interior doors (slows fire spread inside home)
• Turn off air conditioning (prevents smoke intake)
• Gather valuable items (jewelry, laptops, etc.)

GO (Evacuation Order) Actions - 5-10 Minutes Maximum

Only:

• Grab go bags
• Get family and pets
• Leave immediately via designated route
• Don't return for forgotten items

Do NOT: Stop to gather belongings. Wait for family members to finish packing. Attempt to protect your property. Ignore evacuation routes in favor of "shortcuts."

The Bottom Line

Evacuation planning feels like preparing for something that might never happen. But in wildfire country, evacuation isn't a possibility — it's an eventual certainty.

The families who evacuate successfully aren't lucky. They're prepared. They have plans, supplies, and practiced procedures. When the GO order comes, they're stressed but not panicked, worried but not frozen.

Don't wait for fire season to start planning. Don't wait for a SET order to start packing. Don't wait for smoke on the horizon to have the conversation with your family.